Salvation in Isaiah 7 (Week 2)

We are told today by nutritionists that we should not eat too
much butter. Some people, whose cholesterol levels in their
bloodstream are too high, are advised never to eat butter. For
this reason today’s clever inventors have produced a low
calorie and cholesterol free butter free, non-dairy butter! There
is a Brand actually called “I can’t believe
it’s not butter!” which contains 9% fat only.

Isaiah had no such worries when he pronounced his prophecy
concerning the Messiah the one who was called Immanuel. God with
us or with us is God was the promised person who would be
conceived supernaturally by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a
virgin girl. Yet this prophet Isaiah saw it as an accomplished
fact.

Then he described prophetically what this very special person
would be like – verse 15 Butter and honey shall he eat,
that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

1. His food.

What is so special about butter and honey? Nothing really
– it is the food that every child in Israel would have been
fed in infancy. As now the first food that any child receives is
milk – either from the child’s mother, or from a
nursing mother, or from animal milk. The first thing about this
supernaturally conceived child will be that he will be born
naturally and nurtured naturally. He would not be given
angel’s food. What is angel’s food? There is one
reference to it in Psalms 78 v 25

Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the
full.

The common interpretation of this term is that it was manna
– the special food supplied by the Lord God supernaturally
every day for nearly 40 years, to the Children of Israel when
they wandered in the desert. It was that special bread like
substance that was supplied on the ground every day with twice as
much on every day before the sabbath – so that the
gathering of it did not need to be made on the Holy Day of
Worship – the seventh, the Sabbath day. If the manna was
stored then it became polluted, breeding worms and quickly going
off – EXCEPT on the day before the sabbath – when
again supernaturally one day in seven it did not go off!

But since the manna was for man to eat why does Psalm 78 call
it angel’s food? One suggestion is that God’s
servants, the angels, delivered the manna every day of the six
days of the week to the desert – so it became known as the
food provided by God’s angels – angel’s
food.

Interesting though this is, Immanuel was not fed on manna. The
supply of manna ceased on the day that the people of Israel with
their army entered the promised land of Canaan and began to eat
of the harvest of corn and wheat that they found there.

Immanuel, the Messiah, the child Jesus was fed with milk and
honey – butter is a derivative of milk as we know –
milk and honey. Now this phrase itself reminds us of another Old
Testament promise – from God to His people –

Exodus 3 v 17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the
affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the
Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites,
and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

Leviticus 20 v 24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit
their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land
that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which
have separated you from other people.

These were foods of promise. Dr Gill says that These foods are
not to be confined merely to the abundance of cattle fed in
Canaan, and the plenty of milk they produced, or the number of
bees that swarmed there, and the quantity of honey they made; the
land abounded with other good things, and excellent fruit, as
corn, and wine, and oil, and with figs, pomegranates, palm trees.
But this is a proverbial and hyperbolical expression, setting
forth the great affluence of all sorts of good things in it, for
the necessity and delight of human life:

The Immanuel, the person of God living amongst men as a man,
would be fed the same food as us. There is an important point
that Isaiah is making here that is clarified by a verse in the
New Testament – Hebrews 2 v 14 – 17

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that
through death he might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he
took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed
of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made
like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful
high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people.

That phrase in verse 17 emphasises the normal upbringing of
the man Christ Jesus –

Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto
his brethren,

Behoved means that Christ found it His duty to behave as a man
being the real man that He was. He grew through all the stages of
infancy, childhood, boyhood, youth and into manhood, all the
while growing and developing with no different diet than everyone
else. His growth would be marked by wisdom and stature and shall
wax strong in spirit as Luke 2 v 40 testifies that he did. No one
can ever accuse the Lord Jesus Christ of special privileges in
His developmental years and say that He was unable to truly
suffer for us as a man.

Another aspect of this prophecy in Isaiah is the length of
time that it takes from birth to weaning from milk to solid food
– such as honey. 2 to 3 years is the average time for this
to happen in a normal child. And this was about the time frame
that would see the King of Syria and the King of Israel forsaking
their lands according to the end of verse 16. In the time that is
takes for a young child to be weaned that was how quickly things
would come to a head for King Ahaz – God would deal with
his enemies – God would overthrow them – they will
not be allowed to attack Judah and Jerusalem – and King
Ahaz would merely have to believe the word of God through the
prophet Isaiah and not do anything. Belief and faith were key to
this prediction and its meaning.

But as we noted last week, Ahaz took the matter into his own
hands and teamed up with the King of Assyria.

But we must not let Ahaz’s unbelief eclipse the real
importance of the Immanuel prophecy. For even though the event of
the birth of Christ through the virgin called Mary did not occur
until 700 years later, yet the promise was powerful – and
demanded the King and people to believe it!

Now we can project ourselves in history those 700 years to the
time when Immanuel came. Did Jesus come to a land flowing with
milk and honey? In one sense yes – He was born in the
Promised Land – in Bethlehem. But it was not in peace time
– he came to a war-torn situation – with an occupying
Roman garrison in every large town. Cultivation of crops was
disrupted – the local King Herod was on the rampage –
and Jesus and his parents went to Egypt – there he was
raised and the weaning process began.

What was King Ahaz to make of this? That, as verse 20
following say, hard times were ahead for this king. The only food
available would come from the milk of domestic animals –
not meat, but milk. However there would be a remnant of people
who would be left behind after the invasion. They, according to v
22, would have enough milk to turn the surplus into butter
– and butter and honey would once more be available –
butter and honey meaning abundance of everything.

Away from Ahaz and his troubles and back to Immanuel.

Our text also speaks of something else.

2. The Promised One would refuse certain things.

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse
the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know
to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou
abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

There was a period of history in our land when people really
thought that children were born perfect. Indeed it probably is
still the case that the age of innocence as it was called, is in
people’s minds as babies come into the world. However this
verse illustrates the principle that children need to be taught
the difference between good and evil, so that eventually a child
will know how to choose good rather than evil. This is what child
training is all about – this is the aim of every parent not
just Christian parents. It would seem in our society today that
belief in this fact has gone astray. It was accepted that there
will come a time in a child’s life that the choosing
mechanism, choosing good rather than evil, will be in place. He
will know not to put his hand in the fire; not to jump off a 40
foot cliff; not to eat certain berries and items found in the
wild and so on. These choices have to be taught and learned. It
all starts at the earliest age. Further on from this there must
be training in moral choices too – and to a certain extent
this can be done in most cases, even though we know that the
heart of a human being is deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked.

The point of Isaiah’s prophecy here is an illustration
of time – by the time a child, an ordinary child has been
born, fed milk and honey and then successfully achieved that
training that enables him to select good and refuse evil, there
will be a certain amount of time – say 3 to 4 years. And
this was the time that Ahaz was told about – within a
period of this order the enemies will be gone.

But what about the case of the special child mentioned in the
prophecy who would appear 700 years later?

Now He is different. From the earliest age the Lord Jesus
Christ would have always chosen the good and always refused the
evil. This is based on the fact that He is God. He was subject to
His parents and obeyed them. They pointed out what was good and
he always chose it. They pointed out, as parents, what was evil
and he always refused it – and he learned obedience as it
says Hebrews 5 v 8

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things
which he suffered;

In all his life from the beginning the Lord Jesus Christ was
perfect – yet the wonder is He was trained in the early
stages to make right choices.

So that when it came to the call to commence His ministry
– he chose the good. And when He came to be tempted of the
devil with his subtle snide challenges and offers, Christ knew
how to refuse the evil and the evil one.

3. The Promised One would choose the good.

We have been thinking a lot about choice over the past 2 weeks
– and principally God’s choice of us His people.

But now let us think of the choices that the Lord Jesus Christ
made with us in mind.

1. He chose us before the foundation of the world.

Several scriptures tell us this and we are familiar with then
having heard them recently.

2. He chose to do His father’s will.

An Old Testament and a New Testament verse to remind us of
this -

Psalms 40 v 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy
law is within my heart.

Matthew 26 v 42 He went away again the second time, and
prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from
me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

The Lord Jesus Christ was ever the obedient Son of His Father.
He never rebelled against His father’s will and in this He
is a worthy example for us all – he chose to do the
Father’s will.

3. He chose to please His Father.

John 8 v 29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath
not left me alone; for I do always those things that please
him.

The Lord can never be accused of wanting to please Himself
– he chose to please His Father, such was His love for His
father – again a worthy example for us to follow.

4. He chose to die for His people.

What a choice this was. When the covenant of grace was agreed
in heaven before the world was made it was God the Son who chose
to come to earth and to die for His people. Notice what the Lord
said in John 10 v 17

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life,
that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I
lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my
Father.

He chose to lay down His life - He chose to atone for His
sheep, His people.

5. He chose to love us and secure us for all eternity.

John 15 v 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man
lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 5 v 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

John 10 v 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand.

The Lord Jesus Christ chose to give eternal life to us and to
make sure that we will be safe for ever.

What good things the Lord Jesus has chosen for us.

Since then the Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ has made these
tremendous choices what does this mean for us? How are we to
respond?

1. We must respond with thanksgiving – that He chose the
good and refused the evil. Are we thankful for the choices that
our saviour made for our benefit?

2. We must stand amazed that he loved us so much as to die for
us. Does this not speak to your soul my friend? Perhaps you do
not know that you are loved by such a God as this – by such
a saviour. Maybe it is because you have not yet come to know Him.
And maybe you do not know him because you have not heard His
voice calling you in your inner being.

Perhaps you cannot hear His voice because your sins are in the
way. It can so easily happen that a person struggles to hear
God’s voice but that person is deaf – because the
lawbreaking and self-centredness screams so loudly in life that
God cannot be heard. Or it could be that the occupations and
pursuits in life are so much in the person’s focus that he
cannot see what Christ has done in dying on the cross.

Nothing short of stopping where you are and repenting of sin
can make any difference. Clear away those things that stop you
hearing and seeing the wonderful person who chose the good and
refused the evil.

Only then will you be able to receive the blessing of
forgiveness and pardon that He offers to sincere seekers of Him
and His truth.

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse
the evil, and choose the good.